Vyacheslav Gutsko, great-great-grandson of Alexander Pushkin. Biography

The Pushkin State Museum announced the death of Vyacheslav Gutsko, the great-great-great-grandson of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, at the age of 87. Gutsko lived the life of an engineer, but to the end remained a devoted friend of the museum, which preserves the legacy of his great ancestor. The fate of the descendant, whose death symbolically coincided with the day of Pushkin's death, is described in the Izvestia article.

Early years and origins

Vyacheslav Gutsko was born in 1939. He belonged to the eldest line of Pushkin's descendants, originating from the poet's eldest son, Alexander Alexandrovich Pushkin, whose great—great-grandson he was. His genealogical branch can be traced through the female line: he was the son of Tatiana Evgenievna Gutsko (nee Klimenko), the grandson of Maria Pavlovna Klimenko (nee Vorontsova-Velyaminova) and the great-grandson of Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina (married Vorontsova-Velyaminova), the great-granddaughter of the poet.

Career

Vyacheslav Alexandrovich's entire professional life was connected with engineering and design work for the benefit of the domestic industry. He devoted more than 50 years to working at the legendary Moscow Likhachev Plant (ZIL). His place of work was the Design Bureau of Transport and Chemical Engineering (KB THM), where he worked as a design engineer.

For many years, Gutsko maintained warm and constant ties with the Pushkin State Museum, which called him its "devoted friend." He regularly participated in commemorative events and community meetings of the poet's descendants. For example, in 2019, when he turned 80, he was honored at a traditional meeting at the Pushkin memorial apartment on Arbat along with other descendants.

Date and circumstances of death

Vyacheslav Gutsko died on January 29, 2026 at the age of 87.

The museum's message noted the deep historical and symbolic connection of this date: it was on January 29 (February 10, new style), 1837, that his great ancestor, Alexander Pushkin, died. The cause of Gutsko's death is not specified.

The living descendants of A.S. Pushkin

The direct descendants of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin today live all over the world, forming an extensive international family tree. Their lives develop in different ways: some, like Vyacheslav Gutsko, have chosen a modest private life at home, while others are actively engaged in preserving the poet's cultural heritage abroad. The total number of modern descendants (6th, 7th and 8th generations) is dozens of people.

The most famous of the living descendants is Alexander Alexandrovich Pushkin (born 1942, Belgium). He is the poet's great—grandson (fourth generation) and the last direct descendant in the male line, bearing the surname Pushkin. He is an electronics engineer by profession and lives in Brussels with his wife. Alexander Alexandrovich heads the Pushkin International Foundation, established in 1999, and is actively engaged in popularizing his ancestor's legacy, regularly visiting Russia.

His wife, Marie-Madeleine Durnovo-Pushkina (born 1943, France), is also the poet's great-great-granddaughter (fifth generation). She represents a unique branch of the family, as she is also a descendant of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol through another line. Together with her husband, she actively participates in the work of the foundation and cultural projects.

The most numerous and geographically dispersed branch is the descendants of the poet's daughter, Natalia Alexandrovna Pushkina, married to Nassau. Intermarried with the European aristocracy (Nassau, Merenberg), this line includes representatives of the sixth, seventh and eighth generations. They live in the UK, Germany, the USA, Italy, Switzerland and other countries, many have other surnames and do not advertise their famous origins.

Russia itself is also home to several branches of descendants, mostly along the lines of the poet's children through female generations. They have such surnames as Kologrivov, Galina, Goncharov. As a rule, these descendants lead a private life and only periodically participate in commemorative events related to the name of their great ancestor.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.